31_days | [August 13th] [The Wild Wild West] Just in Your Genes to Roam

Title: Just in Your Genes to Roam
Day/Theme: August 13th - a wall of oleander all around me
Series: The Wild Wild West (specifically, The Poisonous Posey episode)
Character/Pairing: Snakes Tolliver/Chita McCarthy (she's an OC; he's in my icon)
Rating: T/PG-13

Continued from prior pieces.

By Lucky_Ladybug

For a while I thought that everything in our lives was picture-perfect, but over time the diamonds and other things finally made me flat-out realize that Chita was only in things for the money and not me. When I confronted her about it, she admitted it.

"Face it, Snakes, we were both young kids and we wanted to get ahead in life," she told me. "You made big plans and you got me all excited about them. We were both excited."

"Yeah, but I knew you didn't have much money," I said. "I wanted you, because I thought you liked me. You were the first person who'd ever acted like the scar didn't matter!"

"It didn't, as long as there was the promise of money," Chita retorted. "But now it's your stupid mistake and you've got to live with it. You can't get a divorce on these grounds."

I clenched my teeth. Even though I'd suspected, it was nothing compared to finding out it was the truth. I didn't want her to have any of my money now, but I really wasn't sure how to get out of it. If I tried to get a divorce, I wouldn't be able to offer any proof of what I was saying. I decided that for the time being, I'd have to move most of my money into private accounts that she couldn't get at.

It also started seeming like other people in town knew something that I didn't. Some of the other businessmen would whisper as I was approaching and then stop cold and switch topics. They'd give me funny looks ranging from "Doesn't he know?" to "The poor sap." A couple of them kind of looked worried and then relieved. I'd always ask what the problem was and I wouldn't get a decent answer. They'd make up some excuse about work or remembering that they'd forgot to do something. I accepted that at first, but after it happened more often, I started to get suspicious.

"Look, Pal," I finally said to one of them when I'd had enough, "I know you and a lot of other people in town are keeping something from me and I'm sick of it. If it involves me, I've got a right to know what it is."

But he just shook his head and said that he didn't think it was his place to say anything.

I honestly never thought it was anything to do with Chita. She wouldn't be telling anyone else about being a gold-digger, after all. I thought it was something business-related, like maybe somebody from back East coming to hone in on our territory. That was the era of the Carpetbaggers, and there were a lot of those Northerners who were popping in just to cash in on the South's misfortunes.

I never thought of Chita as a Carpetbagger, by the way, since she just came to New Orleans to have fun and not to profit off anybody's bad luck. I guess what she was doing was profiting off of good luck.

Anyway, I was focused on looking for a business problem. One night I went to check out a newcomer's operations. Chita claimed she wasn't feeling well and she'd rather stay home. I believed it, especially since I couldn't believe she'd want to stay away from checking out a casino for any other reason. Chita had been addicted to the things more than me.

It was a nice place and it was tempting to stay for a long time, soaking up the competition. But I was worried about Chita and wanted to get back to check on her. Yeah, in spite of what she'd told me, I still cared about her. I stuck around just long enough to make sure the place was running a clean operation and then I headed home.

I figured Chita would still be in bed when I got home, so I was quiet going in and heading up the stairs. I planned to just peek in the bedroom and then quietly slip out if she was asleep.

Turned out she was awake. And she wasn't alone.

I'm not sure there are many sights more unpleasantly shocking for a spouse to come home to than finding their significant other turning to somebody else right there in the house. I just kind of stopped and stared. My mind had gone completely blank.

And Chita, well, she snapped right to. She shoved the guy and he fell right out on the floor. Then she leaped up from the other side of the bed, pulling her robe closer around her. I was glad that at least she was wearing that. Maybe I'd caught them before any real carrying on had started.

I think everything came together right in that moment. I recognized the guy she'd just kicked out. He was one of the main businessmen who'd acted jumpy and guilty around me. That was why: he'd been messing around with my wife behind my back. And the other people who'd acted weird must have known about it.

"What are you doing here?!" I snarled at him. "Get out. Get out now!"

He jumped up, grabbing his abandoned shirt on a chair and pulling it on while he rushed to the door. He was jumpy again, wouldn't even speak. So I waited for him to leave before turning to get the story from Chita instead.

"What happened here tonight?" I demanded. "You said you were sick!"

"I am sick!" she shot back. "Sick of being married to damaged merchandise! You're good for all the money you promised, but not for me to walk down the street proud to be seen with. You know what everybody around town says? That I married you out of pity! Well, I didn't. But I'm the only kind of wife somebody like you could ever get, so you'd better be grateful!"

I just stared at her. "Grateful?! I'd rather be single!" I was reeling. This wasn't real. It was some kind of a nightmare I'd walked into. Maybe I was the sick one and I'd wake up soon with Chita tending to me.

She sneered at me. "I'll still never give you a divorce. You're stuck with me."

I tried to shake myself out of my shock, but it was impossible. We weren't going to be able to have any kind of a decent conversation tonight. I was too upset and she was mad over being caught.

"We've gotta calm down," I said, even though I was wondering how I'd ever be calm again. "We can talk about this in the morning."

"It won't be any different in the morning," Chita retorted. "I've been stepping out on you the whole time. I wasn't just innocently flirting on our honeymoon."

"But you acted like you cared!" I cried. "You wanted to be with me!"

"Who wouldn't, with your big plans? And you've made good on them. You've even got me into high society so I can meet more guys with big plans."

"You can't be with all of them!" I protested.

"Why not?" she retorted. "I already have been!"

That was too much. I turned, stumbling back out of the room and slumping into the wall, shaking. My life was falling apart around me. Business was good, but that meant nothing to me if I didn't have someone to share it with who genuinely cared about me. I'd already known I'd married a gold-digger. Now I'd found out it was even worse than that.

I actually could get a divorce under those circumstances. I could cite adultery and name the other guy. But that would mean a big scandal that would drag all of us into the mud. I didn't really care what happened to the guy, but I didn't want to be caught in the middle of something like that. And in spite of how Chita had just sliced my heart and soul, I didn't want to put her in that kind of a public position either.

I couldn't think about it right then. I got up and went into one of the guest rooms. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep, but I couldn't face Chita any more that night. I had to be alone for a while.

That big house felt more like a poisonous prison that night.